New Delhi, Feb 2 (PTI) The 'Gender Budget' allocation has seen a sharp increase, reaching Rs 4.49 lakh crore, in this year's Union Budget, a 37.5 per cent rise from last year's allocation, the Women and Child Development Ministry said on Sunday.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her budget speech on Saturday, announced that the 'Gender Budget' made up 8.86 per cent of the total budget. Last year's allocation was Rs 3.27 lakh crore, which was 6.8 per cent of last year's total budget.

This year's budget also witnessed a record number of ministries and departments reporting allocations under the Gender Budget Statement (GBS). Forty-nine ministries and departments, along with five Union territories, have included gender-focused allocations, up from 38 ministries and departments in the previous year.

Twelve new ministries and departments have been included in the GBS for the first time, reflecting a broader commitment to gender-responsive budgeting, the ministry said in a statement.

Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Department of Biotechnology, Department of Food & Public Distribution, Department of Financial Services, Department of Fisheries, Department of Land Resources, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, and the Ministry of Railways are the new additions.

The allocations have been categorised into three sections within the GBS.

In Part A, which includes 100 per cent women-specific schemes, Rs 1.05 lakh crore (23.50 per cent of total GBS allocation) has been earmarked.

Part B, covering schemes with 30-99 per cent allocation for women, has received Rs 3.26 lakh crore (72.75 per cent), while Part C, which accounts for schemes with less than 30 per cent allocation for women, has been allotted Rs 16,821 crore (3.75 per cent).

Among the top contributors to the 'Gender Budget', the Ministry of Women and Child Development leads with 81.79 per cent of its funds allocated to women-centric initiatives.

Other ministries with significant gender allocations include the Department of Rural Development (65.76 per cent), Department of Food & Public Distribution (50.92 per cent), Department of Health & Family Welfare (41.10 per cent), Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (40.89 per cent), Department of Social Justice & Empowerment (39.01 per cent), Department of Higher Education (33.94 per cent), Department of School Education & Literacy (33.67 per cent), Ministry of Home Affairs (33.47 per cent), and the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation (31.50 per cent), the ministry said. PTI UZM SKY SKY SKY

Gender-responsive budgeting expands allocations and ministry coverage, increasing scope for women-specific and partly targeted programs. Gender-responsive budgeting in the current Union Budget increases designated allocations and expands institutional reporting under the Gender Budget Statement, with a dozen ministries newly included. Allocations are organised into three operative categories: Part A for wholly women-specific schemes, Part B for predominantly women-targeted schemes, and Part C for schemes with lesser women-targeted shares; the statement highlights relative shares across these categories and identifies ministries allocating the largest proportions of funds to gender-focused initiatives.